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Maria Martinetti Stiavelli (1864-1937), a painter from Rome, was only 23 years old when she painted Malaria (1887), a large painting on canvas, measuring 140.5 x 221.5 centimetres. The impressive painting, which had been held in storage at the Vatican Museums, underwent restoration works thanks to the precious contribution of the Canadian Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.
Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, highlighted the “precious contribution” of the Canadian Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, to the mission of the Vatican Museums, “an essential cornerstone of the Governorate”, during an address read aloud on his behalf, by Msgr. Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museum, on Thursday afternoon, 31 October. Msgr. Hogan read the Cardinal’s words after celebrating Holy Mass in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace, to mark the conclusion of the annual visit of the Canadian Chapter to the Vatican.
Thanks to the precious contribution of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, and after delicate restoration works that lasted almost five years. the celebrated and priceless sculpture dating back to the early decades of the second century, is now open to public viewing again.
Hercules Mastai, the colossal bronze statue named after Pius IX, who included it among the collections of the Vatican Museums, has undergone a complex intervention to preserve it. The restoration project was possible thanks to the contribution of Rick and Lisa Altig of the Northwest Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. On Tuesday, 3 December, the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage held a workshop dedicated to furthering knowledge on “Hercules Mastai – From its Finding to its Restoration”, and to providing details of its restoration.
Christmas is always an opportunity to gather together in friendship and communion, as it is also for those who are united in their vocation and mission to preserve the artistic, historical and cultural heritage of the Vatican Museums in order to pass it on to the next generations.
“Forty-one years of history of the Patrons of the Arts of the Vatican Museums are the result of a common journey”, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, General Secretary of the Governorate of Vatican City State, said in her greeting to the annual meeting of the Chapters of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums held at the Taylor Education Center in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, 22 September, the second to last day of her visit to the United States of America.
The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums (PAVM) aims to preserve and promote the extraordinary art collection of the Vatican Museums. Founded in 1982 following a traveling exhibition in the United States that touched cities such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, the organization was born out of the desire of a number of enthusiasts to contribute to the restoration of the works on display.
These patrons, inspired by art's ability to uplift and enrich the human spirit, united under the name Patrons of the Arts. The organization's mission is to promote, restore and preserve the art collections and buildings of the Vatican Museums.
The Patrons of the Arts is an interdenominational, nonprofit organization. Members, divided into regional chapters, promote awareness of Vatican art through local events.
Thanks to their contributions, the Vatican Museums can:
- Restore and preserve works of art of the Holy See;
- Disseminate the cultural, spiritual and historical heritage housed in the Vatican Museums;
- Improve and enrich museum facilities and collections.
Patrons of the Arts are active worldwide, with the largest number of chapters located in North America.
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota and North Dakota, New England, California and Northwest, New York, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington D.C. in the United States are joined by the Canada chapter.
Internationally, chapters include Asia, Belgium, Italy, the French Riviera and Monaco, as well as Portugal.
For more information www.patronsvaticanmuseums.org
The Illinois Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums is commemorating the tenth anniversary of its initiative, “Integrating Art & Faith”.
On Saturday, 26 October, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, visited the Texas Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, at St. Thomas University in Houston, United States of America.
The bond between art and faith, between evangelization and creative expression and the role of the Vatican Museums within this context were some of the topics discussed at a round table discussion between Cardinal Blase Joseph Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, and Sr. Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate of Vatican City State, held on Saturday afternoon, 2 November at the University Club of Chicago. Moderated by Rev. Louis J. Cameli, Delegate of formation and mission of the Archdiocese.
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